Ahhh, summer! Sunshine, bike rides, beaches, BBQs, road trips, Ice Caps and Frappucinos… oh my!

It seems as soon as the warm weather hits, the iced coffee menus are out in full force. I hear you, it’s refreshing, it’s delicious, and can give you a much needed boost of energy, but unfortunately those drinks aren’t quite as innocent as they seem. Looking at the nutritional information quickly, you might think “Hey, 240 calories isn’t sooooo bad…”, but as you may have heard before, not all calories are created equal. It’s actually the source of the calories that determines whether or not the food or drink is a good option or not. Allow me to break it down for you a little deeper.

Looking at some of the most common coffee shops and their most popular items, here is how their drinks shape up on the nutrition scale.

Tim Hortons Ice Capp

Medium (515ml)
Calories = 360
Sugar = 47 grams

For reference, a Kit Kat bar contains 21 grams of sugar, so this drink is the equivalent of two (plus) Kit Kat bars. Two.

Starbucks Coffee Frappucino

Grande (16oz)
Calories = 240
Sugar = 50 grams

For every 1 gram of sugar you consume, you consume 4 calories. Therefore, 83% of the calories in one Starbucks Coffee Frappucino are derived directly from sugar. (50 grams x 4 calories = 200 calories out of 240 calories.)

Second Cup Iced Vanilla Bean Latte

Medium (16oz)
Calories = 280
Sugar = 40 grams

The 40 grams of sugar in this iced latte is equivalent to the same of amount of sugar in one McDonald’s Oreo McFlurry.

Timothy’s Frozen LatteBene

Medium (16oz)
Calories = 260
Sugar = 48 grams

The amount of sugar in this one beverage is the equivalent to 1/2 a tub of Ben & Jerry’s Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough ice cream.  Personally, I’d rather eat the ice cream.

The Verdict

These examples are just the basic unflavored options. Can you imagine what happens when you add flavours like Iced Peppermint Chocolate Latte or Iced Cinnamon Dolce Caramel?! It’s scary stuff!

Now, that doesn’t mean all iced coffees have got to go, not at all. But what you need to do is actually drink ICED COFFEE. Not iced coffee + cream + syrup + whipped cream + sprinkles + love handles. (Ok, they don’t actually add love handles to the coffee, but they might as well.) So here are some much better options you can find at your local coffee shop:

What should you drink?

• Opt for an actual iced coffee or iced americano. (As in, coffee on ice.)
• If you find this too bitter for your taste buds, add a little bit of milk or non-dairy milk and sweeten it naturally with honey. All of these options are easily found at any coffee shop.
• If you prefer the frothy like texture of Frappucinos or Iced Caps, ask the barista if they can blend the iced coffee for you in the blender. Most coffee shops will happily do this!
• Make your own creation at home. Honestly, it’s easy!